Canadian Apple resellers call it quits as Apple retail heads north

One of Canada\'s oldest and most respected Apple Resellers will soon close its doors, AppleInsider has been informed.

The owners of Waterloo, Ontario-based Apple Reseller and Authorized Service Provider, First Avenue, have decided that after 20 years of servicing their Macintosh community, they will not continue.

According to one tipster, the store will cease all operations by March 25, but the reasonings behind the closure were never made public. Over by the store\'s cash register, a small sign notes that no new product orders or repairs are being accepted. In an e-mail to AppleInsider one of the store\'s staff confirmed the closing, but did not offer details.

\"This will leave a gaping hole in the middle of Ontario for sales and service of Apple products,\" said one member of ehMac, a website dedicated to Canada\'s Macintosh Community. In a message board thread, eMac members have begun posting some alternative suggestions for obtaining Macintosh sales and service in Ontario\'s Technology Triangle.

First Avenue\'s departure from the Macintosh business comes on the heels of similar news announced recently by another Canadian Apple reseller. Ottawa-based B.Mac Le Magasin Inc. had closed three of its four stores in the Montreal area by September, laying off 37 of 52 employees. The reseller\'s exodus conclude earlier this year with the auctioning of its assets.

It\'s unclear precisely why these Canadian Apple Resellers are suddenly jumping ship, but sources close to some of the retailers hinted that more and more customers have begun ordering from Apple directly. They say Apple has failed to provide adequate supplies of its latest and hottest products to the resellers, which has driven customers to buy from stores like Best Buy and the Apple online store, where they are more likely to find the goods they seek.

In the meantime, Apple\'s retail expansion into Canada is heating up. As first reported by AppleInsider last month, the company\'s inaugural Canadian retail store is scheduled to open May 21st at the Yorkdale Shopping Center. And Apple has its sights on at least 3 other shopping malls in the Ontario area, sources say.

The company last month continued negotiations for a retail space with Cadillac Fairview, realtors for the Toronto Eaton Center. The negotiations for the Eaton Center space have been described as \"long\" and \"drawn-out.\" A deal is reportedly in place but has not yet been inked.

well quite honestly i jsut think its easier to order from apple. always have, always will. especially with all the mindless PC users switching, it seems very likely that they would only know to order from the online store, apple retail store, or an ipod from best buy. a reseller could have all the supplies in the world and i dont tihnk it would make a difference. i honestly can only name 2 resellers off the top of my head (macmall and macconnection). I understand that there could still be shady reasons as to why these resellers are having to close, but it doesnt surprise me that people are going straight to apple now.

This is my local reseller and I know some of the staff there personally -- if this is actually happening it is truly unfortunate.

That being said, the writing was on the wall years ago -- my own 15" FP iMac, that I am typing on now, was purchased at a Best Buy type store (Future Shop) in the same city as First Avenue, precisely because, in 2002, First Avenue did not receive stock from Apple in a reasonable amount of time.

Now has Apple purposely been shorting First Avenue of stock? That is another question entirely, and probably not a foregone conclusion either way.

I ordered my Mini online. I think Apple is probably trying to kill off all independent retailers and replace them with Apple stores, and primarily sell online (ie: Dell style) and sell low end models like Minis in places like Bestbuys etc.. Makes sense from a corporate perspective.

but one problem i have is dead pixels, that is, if i order online and get a dead pixel, that's not cool... that's why i have learnt to check the screen of the display or laptop at the dealer/apple store before accepting it...

I'm a student at the University of Waterloo; we've got two Mac resellers on campus (math building and the student life center) - both of these places can take units in for service and they can order just about any Apple product you need (with your discount providing you can cough up your card).

ct77 - chances are, if you bought that iMac in 2002 I was the one who sold it to you There were only two of us who gave a damn about Macs in Future Shop back then - a chap named John and myself

I haven't been in to First Avenue in years. The last time I was there it was a pretty hostile atmosphere. All of the cross traffic that we used to get from them would be folks muttering nasty little things under their breath about those so and sos at First Ave - I felt it a bit myself, but it could have been an off day. I used to send folks there all the time (a good majority of the people looking for a decent computer for actual computing just don't fit into the $500 emachine mould

It's sad to see anyone leave the community, but given the way Apple has been providing stock (even to us at times) I'm not surprised. I WILL be stopping by after class tomorrow to see if there are any deals to be had.

Just to be clear, here; First Avenue Computers is well over an hour away from the Apple Store location. And Bmac's stores are over five hours away, each. I don't think Apple coming to Toronto is going to drive a far-off Mac retailer out of business.

Originally posted by MacDuffJust to be clear, here; First Avenue Computers is well over an hour away from the Apple Store location. And Bmac's stores are over five hours away, each. I don't think Apple coming to Toronto is going to drive a far-off Mac retailer out of business.

hmm and the Apple Store hasn't even bloody opened right? and already the dealer is closing up and blaming Apple...

i think either way we haven't got enough info to know what is really going on, and I'm not saying Apple is perfectly innocent either way with regard to inventory supply to dealers